


Glowing in the Dark

by jairyn



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Anisoka, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Star Wars - Freeform, otp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 17:48:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17047763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jairyn/pseuds/jairyn
Summary: Exhausted and lonely after an especially long and brutal tour of duty, Anakin turns to his padawan for comfort. Following his night of what he sees as weakness, he’s forced to reconcile that Ahsoka can offer him things that his wife can’t. As things start falling apart around them, he makes a choice to follow her when she leaves the order.Now with two kids in tow, they’re forced to juggle parenthood with still trying to shine a light in the darkness that had fallen. Will the Skywalker family ultimately beat the Chancellor’s game and get to raise their family in peace or will they lose everything?This story is inspired by and for Reese_Tano, who’s beautiful Anisoka artwork on Instagram always makes my day. Go check her out and give her a follow!The story is named after the song Glowing in the Dark by The Girl and The Dreamcatcher, which is a very fitting AniSoka song XD





	Glowing in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> I have introduced in previous stories a somewhat different version of Ashla, but for this story I’m going to use the version that she’s drawn and created, along with Ashla’s little brother Sokka, who she also designed and created.

            The war in the outer rim was raging on. They'd been gone from Coruscant for nearly four months. He was exhausted. They'd lost more than half of their troops, and that was including reinforcements. They were finally heading home, however defeated. He'd been trying so hard to be strong for his men, but he couldn't remember the last time he had a decent nights sleep. He just wanted to crawl into bed for days. But the Indomitable was equipped only with bare necessities when it came to quarters. The beds were hard, the blankets thin, the pillows might as well have been made of rocks. 

            With everything going on, Ahsoka's company had become the only comfort. She'd grown so much since he'd taken her under his wing. When she was around, for precious moments he didn't have to hide everything. He trusted her enough to let down his guard. It had been hard at first though, admittedly. He'd felt as though he had to lead by example and never show weakness. But more often than not, she saw through his charade and usually, called him on it. He'd found himself depending on her being there, so he could blow off some steam every once in awhile. Grateful that she didn't seem to think less of him for venting. She was always supportive and encouraging. It made him feel like he could take on the world. 

            Tonight was bad though. He was so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open. He'd dropped down on the bed expecting to pass out hard. But sleep had eluded him. He'd hoped the fact they were headed home would allow him to relax. But nothing he did brought the sweet relief. He'd even tried meditating. That had only agitated him more. He'd paced his room for hours. Switching between pacing and tossing and turning. But every time he closed his eyes he saw pain, death and blood. So much blood. 

            He sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing his face. "Come on sleep, be my friend tonight," he mumbled. "I know we don't always get along, but I need you." He laid back on the bed again and closed his eyes. Nothing happened. He waited and waited and waited, mentally trying to relax every muscle in his body. But it never came. For whatever reason, Jedi master Shaak Ti popped into his head. And before he could stop himself, he was on his way to Ahsoka's cabin. It wasn't ideal. And what he was about to ask of her was way past the line of appropriate, but he was so desperate to sleep he couldn't bring himself to care. 

            "Master?" she asked sleepily. "What happened? What's going on?" 

            "Nothing, Snips. Everything's fine. It's just... I can't sleep. And I was hoping... well..." he looked down at the floor.

            "That I could help you with that?" she asked, eyes widening a little. 

            "I know it's wrong and I wouldn't ask, but..."

            She took him by the hand and pulled him inside her room. "Promise you won't tell anyone."

            "Tell them what? That I was weak, and my student had to comfort me? Yeah like that's exactly what I want people to know about me,” he sighed.

            "You're not weak, Master. Everyone needs comforting sometimes. And after what we've been through, honestly, I'd be surprised if you didn't need it," she said passionately. He appreciated her fire. It was part of what he'd come to love about having her around. Her loyalty and fierce need to protect him and the others... it felt good. She was one of the few people that seemed to get him, and never asked him to be anything different. 

            She laid down on her back and he crawled in next to her. She threw the blanket over both of them and he rested his head on her chest. He could feel the pain melting away already as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against him. He felt the lekku that was against his face start to get warmer. It vibrated ever so slightly. It felt like a soft massage. 

            He relaxed into her as she let out a low guttural sound. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. But it was oddly comforting. It almost sounded like purring. He nuzzled his cheek against the bare skin above her tank top, loving the warmth of her body pressed against his. It was the first time he could remember since leaving Tatooine he didn't feel cold. He could definitely get used to this, which wasn't exactly a good idea. But as he felt his body getting heavy, and sweet sleep drifting closer, he didn't really care anymore if it was a good idea or not. He felt her hands in his hair as though she were petting him. Her touch was soft and soothing. The last thing he remembered was the feel of her lips against the top of his head. 

            For the first time in months, maybe even years, he woke up feeling refreshed. Like sleep had finally done its job and now he could take on the world. They were both still lying there as they’d fallen asleep and he had the strongest urge to stay there. 

            When he’d found out that Togruta could do this, admittedly he’d wanted to experience it for himself. Ahsoka had been horribly embarrassed by the way Shaak Ti had talked about it, that she was often called into the nursery or to comfort younglings this way. But since there were only two Togruta Jedi, as far as he knew... well, experiencing it had been out of the question. Until last night apparently. He didn’t want to get dependent on her this way, but it had felt so good to feel such warmth and the way it had seemed to sink beneath his skin and massage his tired muscles. The way her sound had circulated in his head, pushing out the stress and anxiety that often left him at odds with the god of sleep. 

            He hoped though, that his weakness last night hadn’t destroyed his friendship with his padawan. Maybe they could just go about business as usual and both forget it had even happened. She wasn’t a youngling anymore, she was close to her trials, but still... she was his best friend and besides... he had a wife. 

            The thought of Padmé finally stirred him to action and he untangled himself from Ahsoka and tried to crawl out of the bed without waking her. He didn’t manage that though, since he tripped over the blanket and landed on his back on the floor. 

            She peeked over the edge of the bed at him. “You must have slept well if you ended up down there,” she chuckled. He didn’t want to be annoyed with her comment since he definitely owed her for a good night of sleep. So he tried to frown but laughed anyways. 

            “The blanket got me,” he said sheepishly. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

            “Oh no, General Skywalker was beaten not by droids but by a blanket!” she teased. He ripped it off her, wadded it up and threw it at her face. He could still hear her laughter even through the fabric. 

            “Not a word of this, to anyone,” he said, getting to his feet. “None of it.” He turned to go and stubbed his toe on the table. He had to slap his hand over his mouth, so he didn’t start cussing and half hobbled, half hopped out of her room. He tried to ignore her snickering as he left with as much dignity as he could manage. He had a feeling he was never going to live this down. He knew she wouldn’t tell anyone, but she’d probably tease him about it whenever she got a chance. 

            He slipped back into his quarters, grateful he’d managed to return without passing any of the clones in the hallway. It’s not liked they’d know where he’d been, but he didn’t want to give anyone reason to even wonder why he was wandering the ship in his underclothes and bare feet. 

            He ran himself through the shower as quickly as possible and got dressed. Ahsoka was already on the command deck by the time he got there. They should be getting close to Coruscant, so there shouldn’t be a reason for a briefing, unless... 

            “I’m sure you all could use the rest, but unfortunately you’re the closest to the situation. By the time any of the rest of us get assembled and on our way, it will be far too late,” Master Windu said to Admiral Yularen, Ahsoka and Captain Rex. 

            “General Skywalker should be here any minute...” she started but looked up and saw him coming.

            “I’m here, masters,” he said, stepping into the holotransmission next to her. “What’s the mission?”

            “The Separatists have seized control of Republic Shipyards on Rothana. There they have access to all the records on our battle cruisers, gunships, light cruisers, transports, etc.”

            “The Kuat Drive Yards is also the main producer of our battle ships,” Admiral Yularen cut in. “Without them, the Republic will have no navy.”

            “What kind of resistance can we expect?” he asked, feeling both annoyed that they weren’t going to make it home to Coruscant after all, but also that now he had to tell his men that too. They’d more than earned a rest. Without a morale boost, this wouldn’t go well.

            He himself was feeling considerably better after his night with Ahsoka, but he’d still been looking forward to seeing Padmé and having a much needed distraction from this war. He glanced to the side at his padawan. She was listening to everyone with rapt attention and laser focus. His mind must have drifted a bit, because he lost track of the words being spoken as he studied her pretty features. 

            When had she grown up so much? When had she started carrying herself so confidently? When had she become such an incredible leader? And when had she become so stunningly beautiful? 

            Last night shouldn’t have meant anything at all. Maybe they’d slept in the same bed, cuddled up in an inappropriate manner, but they’d not done any more than that. It had just been a way to get a good night’s sleep. And now that they were being redirected yet again from a much needed break, it was probably a very good thing he’d finally relented for the sake of quality rest. 

            But now that he studied her, he found himself wondering if he’d ever felt that good with Padmé. The moment the thought entered his brain, he angrily squashed it out. This was completely different. They were completely different. Padmé was his wife, of course he’d felt good with her. He wouldn’t have married her if he hadn’t. Ahsoka was just a friend. Perhaps a really good friend, but just a friend. Whatever had happened last night was a onetime thing. He wouldn’t be weak like that again.

            “We’re on our way, masters,” her voice cut through his thoughts and he looked around confused when the transmission ended, and everybody bustled about to prepare to jump the ship to the new destination. 

            “I’ll prepare the fighter squad,” Rex said and left the command center, leaving him alone with Ahsoka. 

            She glanced around and scooted closer. “Are you alright, master?” she asked.

            “I’m fine, Snips,” he said indignantly, crossing his arms. 

            “Are you sure? You drifted off there for a bit. Is this about...”

            “No,” he interrupted her, not daring to let her utter it aloud. It was bad enough it had happened, he didn’t need the whole ship to know too. “I’ll be in the hanger with Rex.”

            “But you didn’t hear any of the...” she called after him, but he hurriedly tried to put distance between them. 

            He didn’t want to be rude, but her presence was suddenly so distracting, and he didn’t need the constant reminder of what she’d felt like, pressed up against him. He tried to put his mind back on the task at hand. He stopped a few corridors away. But he didn’t know what the task at hand was. The only part he’d really heard was where they were going and why. He took a deep breath debating whether or not to go back to Ahsoka and have her tell him or just casually find out from Rex. Rex, definitely Rex. He was the much safer bet at the moment. 

            He headed towards the hanger, doing his best to stop thinking about last night but he couldn’t. It felt like every time he blinked he’d see her sleeping form. He’d feel the heat from her lekku, her fingers running through his hair. He could still smell her sweet citrus soap and hear the purr that had soothed him when nothing else could. He’d been so weak to need comforting from his padawan! Now it would haunt him forever...


End file.
